Doomsday: I Build a Space Fleet

Chapter 11 A First Look at the Industrial Zone

The journey from the factory to the industrial zone takes one hour and forty minutes at economical speed. After Lorraine set the target point for the ship's AI, the two went about their own business.

During the gunboat's automatic cruise, Lorraine completed maintenance on all the weapons, while Ouyang Nian put her personal belongings in the cabin and loaded all 400 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition into the ammunition belt.

[Commander, we have reached the designated location.]

The two climbed to the observation platform, used binoculars to compare with the map on the data board, and observed the entire industrial area. They chose a three-story building on the outskirts of the industrial area that most resembled an office building as their initial exploration target.

Unsure whether this small building, like the factory dormitory, harbored a large number of zombies in its underground area, Lorraine took out the monocular night vision goggles and FAST helmet she had just acquired.

Ouyang Nian donned his battle-hardened chainmail, but unlike before, he replaced his original iron helmet with one equipped with a monocular night vision device, and hung a pistol on his waist.

Lorraine was still wearing his cut-resistant tactical uniform, a helmet with night vision goggles, a semi-automatic shotgun, a pistol, and a broadsword slung across his back.

The two rowed their small boat close to the dock, hid the boat, and then headed toward the three-story building with their guns in hand.

After confirming that there were no lookouts or guards outside the factory area where the three-story building was located, the two men leaned against the wall and reached the entrance of the factory area to observe the internal situation of the factory area.

To test whether there were zombies inside the building, Ouyang Nian took out a small stone and smashed it against the glass door on the first floor. With a "crash," the glass shattered.

After waiting for a while and still not finding any zombies near the door, Ouyang Nian left the cover and approached the three-story building, while Lorraine provided cover with a pistol.

Ouyang Nian looked through the windows one by one, and seeing that all the offices were empty, she waved to Luo Lin, indicating that the first floor was safe and he could approach.

Seeing Ouyang Nian make a gesture, Lorraine quickly jogged to his side, preparing to enter the building to conduct reconnaissance. The two approached the doorway, holstered their guns, drew their knives, and entered the stairwell one after the other.

Ouyang Nian continued to walk at the front with his shield, responsible for ensuring safety ahead, while Lorraine, under Ouyang Nian's protection, collected all the information that could not be observed from outside the window.

Under the green night vision goggles, Lorraine could clearly see the messy shoe prints on the ground, and her nerves instantly tightened.

Lorraine patted Ouyang Nian on the shoulder. Ouyang Nian turned around and saw Lorraine put her left index finger to her lips and pointed her other finger to the ground.

Following the direction Lorraine pointed, Ouyang Nian saw messy footprints on the ground. Looking up, he saw that Lorraine had already put the long sword behind his back and raised the shotgun.

Ouyang Nian nodded knowingly, then sheathed his knife and drew his pistol, concealing it behind his shield. The two then retreated to the doorway and began searching each office one by one.

Fortunately, the sunlight streaming into the room wasn't too bright, so the two didn't have to frequently switch the night vision goggles on and off. Enduring the slightly glaring light from the goggles, they carefully searched every room.

In one of the offices, Ouyang Nian found documents about the factory area.

She patted Lorraine on the shoulder, and then the two huddled together to look at the document. The document detailed the cannery's daily output, production facilities, and number of employees.

Staring at the glaringly obvious number 240 on the document, the two fell silent. Based on the footprints they'd seen earlier, Lorraine guessed there were only about twenty or thirty survivors in the factory area.

With heavy hearts, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian continued searching the other rooms. Unexpectedly, when they checked the bathroom next to the stairs, they smelled that stench again.

The two tread lightly and discovered the broken ground and the mysterious tunnel, but this time they heard no sound. It seemed the survivors inside the building had been driven elsewhere by the horde of corpses in the tunnel.

The two left the restroom and went up to the second floor, carefully checking each office as well, but found no information about the distribution of materials within the industrial zone or factory area.

The two went up to the third floor and finally found a detailed map of the factory area and a map that marked the different sections of the industrial zone in a large office that appeared to be the manager's office.

The objective of the trip was perfectly achieved. However, in order to confirm the location of the original survivors and the zombie horde, and whether it would affect the next step of the exploration, Lorraine decided to go up to the rooftop to observe the surroundings.

Reaching the fourth floor, Ouyang Nian found the door to the rooftop locked. Judging from the sound of knocking, the iron door was probably not thick.

She waved for Lorraine to retreat to the corner of the stairs, then removed her shield, took two steps back, and kicked the door lock, denting the iron door. Then, with another powerful kick, the iron door swung open with a bang.

Ouyang Nian picked up the shield and, together with Lorraine, climbed onto the rooftop. After confirming it was safe, Lorraine knelt in the center of the rooftop, and, while ensuring she didn't expose too much of her body, raised her binoculars to observe the surroundings.

Suddenly, a fleeting figure at the window of the factory across the street caught Lorraine's attention, causing him to pause as he was about to put down his binoculars. He raised them again and carefully observed the factory. The factory door was wide open, and he could vaguely see figures moving in the shadows.

Lorraine handed the binoculars to Ouyang Nian and said, "There seem to be survivors who escaped from the upper level of that factory building, and the figures moving below are probably the zombies that chased after them. I'm wondering if we should kill those zombies, capture a few alive, and ask around to see if there are any other survivors in the industrial area."

Ouyang Nian agreed, saying, "Sure, I have no objection. But when should we go? Based on previous experience, there should be around 40 zombies chasing us, including one mutated individual."

"I plan to do it around six or seven tomorrow morning. By then, the zombies will have subsided, their activity will have decreased, and that should be when they're most relaxed."

Lorraine gestured for Ouyang Nian to raise the binoculars, pointing them to a yellow staircase at the edge of the warehouse and protrusions on the roof: "That should be a maintenance ladder, and those protrusions are probably ventilation ducts, we can..."

"Get down!" a low growl came from beside him.

Before Lorraine could finish speaking, Ouyang Nian, who was holding binoculars, grabbed her and pulled her down to the ground.

Lorraine stared blankly at Ouyang Nian. After a few minutes, Ouyang Nian put down his binoculars and said to Lorraine, "Your plan is feasible. Someone just opened a window in the factory roof and climbed up. I saw him shaking his head and looking around for a long time before he came down."

"So it was the sound of kicking the door that attracted their attention?"

Ouyang Nian nodded awkwardly and said, "It should be."

"So, which of us should go back? One of us definitely needs to stay here and keep an eye on the other side."

"Should we stay on this rooftop tonight, or come back tomorrow morning?"

Lorraine thought for a moment and said, "There are still six hours until dark. I'll go back to change my gun and bring back some food and drink. We'll leave when it's almost dark; by then, those survivors shouldn't dare to wander around."

"Then bring back an iron chain and tie this door shut. That way, neither of us will have to constantly watch our backs."

"OK." Lorraine gestured to Ouyang Nian, then put on his night vision goggles, went downstairs, and returned to the ship.